We all know how an internship works. It’s an opportunity to learn and discover our innate talents and passions whilst working for a company for several months.
The media world is vast and although it may seem all bright, artsy and all about creativity, we wonder if it’s really as such. We spoke to 8 ex-interns in Malaysia on their internship experience in the media industry to find out.
1. Ling*, 21
Ling, who interned at a multinational company as a client servicing intern had a lot of dirt to spill about her experience during her internship. She mentioned that she was a “shared intern” amongst 4 different bosses. Although female, Ling preferred working with male bosses as she found most female bosses to be slightly more intimidating. Unfortunately for her, all four of her bosses were female and they were from hell.
During her internship, Ling heard her bosses bitching about previous interns and was even undermined by them when praised by a client. “I was very quiet and shy throughout the internship although I was an outgoing person on a day to day basis.” Ling said. Though she expected more work, Ling became the runner of the office, doing Powerpoint slides, scanning and copying documents for her superior.
Biggest Takeaway: “Definitely choose a smaller firm that makes you feel more appreciated and one that has people who are willing to teach you.”
2. Jamie, 22
Jamie interned as a copywriter at a large advertising firm in Malaysia and loved her experience there thoroughly. She had a boss who was relatively cool and was down to teach her about the ways of the industry.
“We had an interview at Starbucks and he briefed me about the job scope and we continued having a casual conversation about personal interests after that,” Jamie told DiscoverKL. Her team was cool and they would often hang out after working hours too.
Jamie’s only regret would be her lack of confidence then. She wished that she had participated more during brainstorming sessions and had more initiative to start projects of her own as well.
Biggest Takeaway: “My boss and creative director taught me so much. He gave me a ton of tips based on past experiences that I’ll always hold on to. He inspires me and the way I write now.”
3. Jane*, 19
Jane, a social media influencer herself, interned at a small social media marketing company as a PR rep and photographer. She had 2 bosses, both of which were from opposite ends of the spectrum: one was hellish and the other, a friend.
Working at a small company, Jane didn’t expect herself to be swamped by work and working on things she did not expect to be a part of her job scope. She applied thinking she could expand her connections and have a few more campaigns to work on as a social media influencer.
Things took a turn from what she expected it to be when she got an insight of how social media campaigns work behind the scenes and how the glamorous front is just that—a front. Jane left the internship feeling like she had worked 3 full-time jobs, and on top of that, she had no social life too.
Biggest Takeaway: “The people behind the scenes making sure campaigns are a success do a lot more than I thought. I’m grateful for the experience because I managed to learn an incredible amount of things, from making reports “sent from hell” to attending events full of “extra people” that you don’t necessarily fit in with.”
4. Joanne*, 18
As an ambitious teen, Joanne had it all figured out at the age of 18. She interned for a local social media marketing startup whilst still being a full-time student in college. She was one of the luckier ones as she had one of the best bosses she might probably ever get.
She definitely did not expect much from her internship. Yes, she did experience some hectic days where she had a ton of work to hand in but she never once complained. Through her internship, Joanne managed to gain much knowledge on the industry like how things run, management crisis and what goes on behind the scenes.
Biggest Takeaway: “I definitely learnt a lot from my internship, from managing my time to planning my days ahead.”
5. Maya*, 22
Maya interned as a copywriter after graduating from university. She didn’t have the friendliest or most approachable of bosses at all. Despite the fact that he wasn’t a bad person, he just didn’t communicate with her or teach her much. Throughout her internship she barely had any task handed to her.
“Most of the time I would just goyang kaki in the office and waited for the day to be over, ” Maya said. She also mentioned that the company she interned for was a mess! Everyone was all over the place and they barely had meetings to make sure everyone was on the same page.
Biggest Takeaway: “I wished I was more inquisitive of what the company was doing and had been more proactive in my tasks.”
6. Ros, 20
Ros did a little bit of script writing, producing, camera operating and video editing in a production studio during her internship. She didn’t have a boss but she did have a great team leader. She definitely expected more work but then again, was just interning for a minor role so she did not have much complaints about the entire experience.
From her internship, Ros had a better understanding on common industry jargons and that’s something that she knew she would never be able to learn from the books. Besides that, she now understands the workflow of the media industry and knows exactly what to expect in her future line of work.
Biggest Takeaway: “Looking back, I definitely would have liked to ask more questions. Perhaps I could have learned way more if the burning questions in my head were answered.”
7. Anna*, 21
Anna interned for a relatively big advertising agency with a role to service clients. She described her experience as “unfair”. Anna’s boss would often take out her personal frustration and anger on the new intern. These frustrations could be anything as personal as a break up. Anna had expected to learn more, but instead, was asked to run small errands instead.
Biggest Takeaway: “If I could do one thing differently during my internship period, it would be to stand up for myself instead of letting myself be bullied. I learnt that standing up for myself is essential because being picked on when you only mean well, is a terrible experience.”
8. Jesper, 21
Jesper interned at an advertising agency and he had a pretty good boss who was willing to teach him what he needed to learn. He had expected more work, but instead, helped out mostly during brainstorming sessions and was also tasked to keep records of files. The biggest challenge from working at an advertising agency, for Jesper, was the fact that it consumed a lot of time after working hours. As a result of this, he lacked the time to spend with his loved ones.
Biggest Takeaway: “One thing I would definitely do differently is to fine tune my skills in Photoshop, Illustrator and Dreamweaver. It is essential when working in a media-related company, especially during this day and age.”
*Names have been changed due to privacy purposes.
Feature Image Adapted: careers.financesonline.com
